Little Dove
by paigenumber
Summary: Lily and James after they're married. James work with the order has put a definite strain on his and Lily's marriage and when Dumbledore's forbidden her to go on Order missions they lose the little time they had together. Sounds better than this summary makes it sound! LilyXJames, Jily.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1;**_

"J-James? Ar-Are you still awake baby?" Lily asked through a yawn, as she walks into James' office at home. It was three am, and she had woken to find her bed empty, just like how it'd been when she'd gone to sleep. He hadn't even been home when she'd gone to bed. "Are you still awake, love?" James had been working a lot lately, and all Lily wanted was for him to pull her close, stroke her hair and whisper in her ear; okay little dove? Three words. That's all she wanted desperately. Lily missed him. She missed him so much. Their work schedules clashed and they hardly saw each other and it broke her heart.

Lily looked around James' office, taking in the stacks of parchment all over the room and the box of empty ink bottles in the corner.  
And then there was James. He was asleep at his desk, _again_, his head resting against a stack of parchment like it was a pillow.  
Lily bit her lip, debating whether or not to wake him.  
The last time she'd seen him, which to her disgust was last week, he'd looked absolutely exhausted.  
Lily sighed and walked out of the room, flicking the lights off as she went. Lily felt something soft running against one of her legs and she laughed and scooped up her cat.  
"You'll keep me company won't you Socks?" The cat purred in response. Lily adored Socks. She was a fairly small, short haired white cat, with only a touch of black, which was a small patch over half her face. Lily had had Socks since her second year and they adored each other.  
Lily bumped open the bedroom door with her hip, yawning widely. She then proceeded to crawl into bed and cuddle with the cat, her eyelids growing heavy. Lily drifted off to sleep effortlessly, slightly disappointed that again she would be sleeping without her husband.

A few hours after, she was vaguely aware of James shoving her cat over on the bed. Her cat loved to steal James' spot if he wasn't there. Which due to his work was often and because of that reason, Socks and James never really got along, both continually fighting for Lily's affection.  
Lily heard Socks hiss at James and she sat up abruptly, rubbing her eyes while sleepily looking at him.  
James Potter was a mess. He had ink covering more than half of his face, he had large dark circles under his eyes and where they usually sparkled with amusement over something or other, they were dull and were red rimmed.  
James was currently glaring at the cat, so he missed Lily waking up, but he surely didn't miss her throwing herself into his arms and holding onto him for dear life.  
James had to put a hand against the wall so they didn't both fall initially, so only one of his hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to him.  
Once they were somewhat balanced, James other hand started stroking Lily's hair tenderly.  
"Are you okay, my little dove?"  
He whispered in her ear, his voice hoarse and exhausted.  
Lily sighed. "I'm okay, hurting I guess..."  
James kissed her forehead and continued stroking her dark red hair.  
James hated that she was hurting and he couldn't do anything about it. With being an Auror and in the Order of the Pheonix, he and Lily hardly saw each other. He missed her desperately, but he couldn't get time off work and Dumbledore had forbidden Lily to go on any missions, which confused him. When he'd asked why, Dumbledore had smiled knowingly and said; "Only time will tell you James."  
"Did you come into the study looking for me, little dove?" He murmured, thinking he'd been hallucinating.  
Lily nodded into his chest.  
"Yeah around three o'clock, did you hear me?"  
Lily noted that there was hope in her voice and sighed internally.  
"Vaguely. I'm sorry honey, I've been so exhausted I couldn't make it to bed, and I'm so sorry we aren't spending any time together. I miss you so much, it's killing me inside not to be able to look at your smile all day and hear your sing-song laugh."  
Lily' heart leapt and she hugged him tighter. He missed her too. If she didn't know James would never cheat on her, she would have thought he was seeing other women.  
Lily gasped softly, the baby had kicked again. She was about six months pregnant. James didn't know that yet, she had been too frightened to tell him. She was pretty lucky; she'd only had a few cases of morning sickness and she was only showing the tiniest bit, which she could hide by wearing baggy shirts.  
James picked Lily up and laid her on her side of the bed and kissed her forehead.  
"Night, night, little dove."  
Tell him, Lily thought, tell him before he finds out himself and gets upset. You'll hurt him, Lily thought to herself. Lily gnawed at her lip and instantly cuddled into the cat, her back to James. Socks didn't mind the baby's frequent reminders he was still there, and cuddled up to her stomach without hesitating.  
James looked at her and frowned. He hadn't seen her all week and there was something different about her. For one thing, her choice in pyjamas had changed. Before she just used to wear one of his old t-shirts, now she wore patchy pyjama pants and one of his old Qudditch jerseys, which were huge on her. James knew Lily hated to wear pants to bed, yet here she was. And she hadn't cuddled up to him like she usually would.  
"Is the cat a better cuddler than I am?" He heard himself asking as he put his hands behind his head and looked at the ceiling.  
He saw Lily jump slightly and she ran her hand over Socks to calm down. "No, but you're never here so I had to make do."  
James blinked and looked at her startled. He felt like she'd just slapped him across the face. It would've been better if she _had _slapped him in the face.  
"Lils..." His voice was soft and sad. Lily knew what she'd said was horribly cruel, especially since James had no control over it, but she was upset. She loved this man and people he _hated_ saw him more than _her_. She felt tears sting her eyes and she felt Socks get up and nuzzle her face, trying to comfort her.  
"James go to sleep..."  
James' voice had been filled with hurt, but so was hers and her heart was slowly breaking.  
"No." He said, sitting up and pulling her up with him. Lily still had her back to him and his eyes filled with tears. "Lils...please..:" His voice broke with emotion and Lily quickly turned around to look at him, her eyes widening.  
Lily was breaking his heart. She turned around to face him completely, Socks on her lap.  
"James... I'm sorry.. I was cruel.." James took one of her hands and kissed each of her knuckles. "It's okay my little dove. I've been breaking your heart, but there's nothing I can do about it."  
Lily looked down guiltily and James gently claimed her chin in one of his hands and tilted her head up so he could look into her eyes.  
"We're both hurting, love. Give us time to heal. Together." He pulled her down to the bed and she instantly cuddled into him. He instantly wrapped his arm around her waist, but frowned slightly as his hand skimmed the side of her stomach.  
Had Lily put on weight? He was fine with it if she had, but this just startled him.  
James opened his mouth to ask but thought better of it. Lily would probably kill him if he brought up weight.  
He felt her breathing grow even and she eventually started mumbling softly.  
James grinned. He loved her mumbling, it was how James had found actual proof that Lily Evans loved him. He kissed her forehead as she started getting louder.  
"Lo-love...Ha-Harry..." James stiffened. Harry? Who the hell is Harry? And why in the world was _his_ wife dreaming about him? James pushed Lily away gently and rolled over, putting his back to her. Socks hissed at James and cuddled into Lily's stomach again. James felt angry and hurt. They were going to make it work, they'd said it. Lily had made him feel guilty and she had another lover.  
James couldn't sleep with that news hovering over his head. He stormed down into the garage, and started hitting the punching bag with vigour. James refused to put on the boxing gloves, even though his knuckles were bleeding and getting blood all over his punching bag. He wasn't aware of how much noise he was making in his haste to release his anger.

Lily rolled over and expected to find her husband sleeping soundly behind her, but she found only empty space. She could hear a dull banging from down stairs and she stretched and went to investigate, taking her wand and sticking it behind her ear, almost like a pencil.  
Lily entered the garage and found James punching the day lights out of the punching bag.  
She could see blood on the punching bag, and she blanched. "James!" She called loud enough to be heard over his desperate punches. James stopped when he saw her standing there. Sweat made his white shirt stick to his well muscled chest and his hair stuck to his forehead. His face was red and he was breathing heavily.  
Lily glared at him as she stalked forward and took both his hands in hers and inspected the wounds. "You bloody idiot!" She said angrily. "Come on, go to the kitchen and I'll meet you there."  
Lily left and hurried to the lounge room cabinet where she kept all her healing supplies. She grabbed an armful of things and went to the kitchen, where James was sitting at a stool by the counter, his hands bleeding on the counter top. Lily dumped the supplies and filled a bottle of warm water and she took a wash cloth.  
Lily started roughly scrubbing away the blood on his hands and James bit his lip angrily.  
"Why would you do this to yourself!? Why!?" She asked, once she was satisfied the wounds were clean. She poured a few drops of essence of dittany into the wounds and smirked slightly when he flinched as the wounds smoked lightly and started to close.  
"James? Please talk to me!" She begged him, her eyes filling with tears.  
James looked up from his hands and saw tears running down her face. He took a double take and sighed.  
"Who's Harry?" He asked quietly.  
Lily groaned internally. She'd been talking in her sleep.  
She realised she had to tell him or he'd do something stupid. He already had, she thought, so, more stupid.  
Lily started wrapping his hands in soft bandages, being ever so gentle.  
"I'm pregnant." She said, not looking up from his hands.  
James' eyes widened and his mouth hung open. "Wh-what!"  
Lily flinched slightly. "I'm pregnant James. I'm carrying a boy, and I wanted to name him Harry." Lily pushed herself out of the chair and left him gazing after her like a fool.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author note; Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter guys...**_

_**Disclaimer; I don't own this beautifully amazing series...wish I did. **_

_**Chapter Two;**_

* * *

Pregnant. Lily was pregnant. That explained her mood swings, but not why she hadn't told him. He ran after her, flicking off the lights as he went.  
"Lils!" He shouted as he ran into the bedroom. Lily had her back to him, and Socks looked over her shoulder and hissed at him.  
James glared at the cat as he walked around and knelt directly in front of Lily.  
He could see the tears sticking to her eyelashes and he kissed away one of the little droplets as it ran down her cheek.  
"Hey, hey, why are you crying, my little dove? Forgotten how to fly?"

Lily couldn't help but give a small laugh, which was joined by a tiny sob. Whenever she cried he asked her that, and he'd hold her close and tell her over and over; "I'll teach you how to fly. We'll touch the moon and stars if I teach you how to fly."  
And Lily would cry it out till she had nothing left to cry and she would fall asleep in James' arms.

"I'm afraid I have..." She said softly. James wiped away a couple tears and he sat on his side of the bed, pulling her into his arms.  
She instantly responded to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and crying into his chest.  
He rubbed slow circles into her back, while whispering soft, comforting words.  
"Oh little dove, why are you crying?" James asked as he claimed her chin and tilted her head so he could look into his eyes.  
Lily shook her head and kept crying.

James sighed and stroked her hair, he knew he wouldn't get an answer out of Lily till she'd stopped crying so he took a deep breath and began speaking to her softly.

"Let me tell you a story, little dove. It's about a boy, a boy who put on a brave face but he was dying inside because his parents went crazy."

James knew he had Lily's attention so he continued.

"So this angry boy, he took out his anger on everyone else. He wasn't a cruel boy, just angry. Only a few people knew that. Then there was this absolutely gorgeous, kind, funny girl who was everything he wanted. He was an absolute git to her, and she acted accordingly by calling him an arrogant toe rag." He saw Lily crack a smile and he continued on.

"She didn't like the mean boy. Years past and the boy grew up, he started to let his kindness show and he and the girl became friends. Then his mother died during his seventh year. He had no one. Except the girl. She held him while he cried and comforted him. They fell in love. The boy couldn't get the girl out of his head and he loved everything about her." James paused, and saw Lily's smile widen.  
"But this girl would have horrible nightmares, and would visit his room in the middle of the night so she wasn't alone. He'd hold her and keep her safe, and one day, she finally said yes." James kissed Lily's nose gently.

"So now will you tell me why you're crying little dove?" James whispered into her ear, speaking carefully so that she wouldn't start crying again.

James hated seeing Lily cry, he felt like someone was repeatedly using the Cruciartus curse on him when she did.

"B-be-because I'm preg-n-ant." She sobbed out. "You don't want a baby..." James frowned at her.  
"Lils, why would you think I don't want a baby?" He spoke to her gently, like she was porcelain and that if he weren't careful, she'd shatter.  
"Because you sounded so shocked when I told you..."  
A few tears ran down her cheeks and he kissed them away.  
"Of course I was shocked little dove, but that doesn't mean I don't want a baby."  
His hands ran down to her stomach, and he tugged at the hem of her shirt. "May I?"  
Lily nodded and he laid her back against the pillows and pushed her shirt up slightly, showing her bump.  
James eyes widened, there was proof right in front of him that he was going to be a dad.  
"How far along are you Lils?" He whispered, letting one of his hands lightly trail across her stomach.  
"Six months." Lily murmured softy. She felt the baby stir slightly at James touch.  
Then the baby gave a mighty kick, right where James' hand was. Lily and James gasped at the same time, their eyes meeting and widening at the same time.  
"T-that's my little boy?" James whispered, his eyes watering.  
Lily nodded her, more tears falling down her cheeks.  
James kissed her stomach lightly. "Hey there little guy. Stop hurting your mummy so much. She knows your there, Lily would never forget you." Lily smiled softly and James planted a small kiss on her lips.  
"We're going to be parents!" James said happily. "The office will definitely give me time off since you're pregnant and I need to help you out." His face lit up as he climbed into bed, Lily cuddling into him with a playful scowl on her face.

"James I'm pregnant, not an invalid."

James made a soft uncommitted sound and shrugged as he lightly rubbed her stomach.  
"Lils, I can't thank you enough... you've given us something so special, a way to start a family."  
Lily felt the baby kick, only softer, on the spot where James had his hand. "He likes you, love." Lily said, softy, smiling widely.  
"I'd hope so." James said kissing Lily's forehead. "Why didn't you tell me sooner Lils?" He asked her softly, gently tracing shapes on her stomach.

Lily hesitated and bit her lip. "You were hardly home… I just…I didn't think you'd want a baby right now… what with the war and you working all the time…"

With a snort James pulled her in closer to him.  
"Lily Potter, that is exactly why we should have a baby. Let it bring happiness into our lives. Everyone in the Order will be so pleased… you'll see."  
He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "G'night little dove. Sleep well."

Lily nodded and allowed her eyes to drift shut, she tried to sleep but all she could think about was the extremely grim face Dumbledore had worn when she'd told him about her baby.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3;**

**Authors Note; If I make any of you cry, I'm sorry in advance. **

* * *

The delectable smell of pancakes welcomed Lily when she woke up, the curtains drawn back only a touch so the sun caressed the room with a soft light. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, Socks bolting up to her and nuzzling her cheek, careful not to tread on the baby.

Lily scratched Socks behind the ear and stretched carefully.

She could hear James and Sirius talking downstairs, their conversation carrying up to her.

"She's pregnant!? Lily's having a baby! Wait until Rosie hears about this! She'll flip!"

Lily didn't catch James mumbled reply but she did catch James shouting at his friend as Sirius clomped up the stairs.

"LET HER SLEEP, YOU GIT! I DON'T GO AND WAKE ROSIE WHEN SHE'S IN BED!" She could just imagine Sirius's smirk as he shouted back, "THAT'S BECAUSE SHE'D PROBABLY MURDER YOU IF YOU DID. LILY LOVES ME."

Lily rolled her eyes and shared a quick look with the cat, as if it knew exactly what was coursing through her brain. She did love Sirius, as a brother. Nothing more. Nothing less. Well, nothing less when he was good…when he wasn't it really put a strain on her self-control.  
Lily was so absorbed in her mental ramblings that she nearly missed James yelling back at Sirius. 'YOU WAKE HER AND I'LL TELL ROSIE!'

* * *

Lily felt a huge smirk glide onto her face. When it came to Sirius, telling Rosie was the biggest threat there was, seeing as the man was head over heels for her and kept thinking that some day she'd wake up and realize she deserved much better than him. No matter how many times Rosie explained that she loved _him _not anyone else, he still didn't get it, and came and complained to Lily. Lily was kind and comforted the man as best she could, but he still wouldn't believe her.

* * *

Obviously James's threat didn't stop Sirius from barging into the bedroom and giving Lily a huge grin.

"Hey, Lils, heard someone's going to be a mother…" He trailed off, unable to contain his excitement and jumped up and down happily.

"Is it a boy or a girl?! Prongs was being a git and wouldn't tell me!" Sirius sat down on the edge of the bed, but kept bouncing up and down, making the bed mirror his movements.

Socks took one look at Sirius, arched her back and hissed, striking out at him with her claws outstretched. If Lily had thought Socks hated James, then the cat absolutely despised Sirius Black.

Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, Lily shrugged as if she was contemplating his question.

"Rosie? Wow Sirius I didn't think you'd be ready for a baby. And how would James know the gender before you?"

Lily frowned as Sirius's eyes filled with unsuppressed fear and he laid down on the bed beside Lily and kept nudging the cat with his foot until it gave another mighty hiss and launched off the bed, skulking off down the hallway.

Carefully, Lily rolled onto her side and looked at Sirius through eyes filled to the brim with concern, like a mother looks at her injured child.

"Sirius…are you okay? Is everything okay with Rosie?" She watched as he bit his lip, contemplating how to approach her question.

The fact that he was considering, made Lily's heart drop to her feet, and her eyes widened slightly in unsuppressed panic. Lily didn't want to rush him, he was easily spooked, as Rosie enjoyed saying.

* * *

Finally after what seemed like an eternity of silence and Lily making up unreal scenarios in her head, Sirius spoke,

"Rosie's pregnant."

A smiled glided onto Lily's face and she was unable to suppress the laughter that sprung from her mouth. She hadn't noticed how grave and full of sadness his voice had been, too overcome with happiness for her best friend.  
"Sirius, that's amazing!" She couldn't help pulling him into a hug as James walked into the room, carefully carrying a tray laden with food that made Lily's mouth water.

She pulled away from Sirius and gratefully accepted the tray from James, who was smiling at his wife brightly.

"What's amazing, little dove?"

Lily had shoved half a pancake into her mouth, and being the elegant (cough, cough) lady she was, just gestured towards Sirius, who looked up at James with slightly haunted eyes.

"Rosie's pregnant, mate." Sirius said softly, looking up at the roof and muttering one of Rosie's favorite lines for when conversations became awkward. "That's a very nice cobweb. I like that cobweb, very much actually. I would definitely decorate my house with that cobweb. It'd make a lovely decoration."

James sat down on the bed beside Sirius and gave his mate a curious look, as he ruffled his hair slightly.

"Mate, that's a good thing, isn't it?"

Sirius ferociously shook his and sat up, burying his face into his palms.

"She lost the last one mate, you know that. Regards of my bloody cousin. I don't think she can take loosing another."

Lily found it a lot more difficult to swallow her food after being reminded about Rosie's "incident".

She'd been with Rosie at St. Mungo's after Bellatrix Lestrange had hexed her directly in the stomach.

Rosie hadn't even known she was pregnant at the time, and Lily still felt tears come to her eyes when she remembered how her best friend had found out she was pregnant for the first time. Instead of good news, the healer had only brought bad, brought the news that her baby had been killed by the hex. As the healer had laid the tiny baby in Rosie's arms, she cried. Lily had never seen Rosie cry like that and it felt like someone had ripped open her heart and she was slowly bleeding to death. She'd sat there and cried with Rosie until she had nothing left to cry and her eyes were bright red from the tears. Rosie had been okay, not perfect, but okay till Sirius had arrived. She'd taken one look at him and burst into tears again, her arms still flecked with her dead baby's blood.

A part of Rosie had died that day, Lily knew that. You can't go through something like that unscathed, especially when you'd lost as much as Rosie Hunter had. She understood why Sirius was scared that she was yet again pregnant.

Unlike Lily, Rosie refused to stop her work for the Order, for anything and she understood how Sirius could be scared that they'd have a repeat of the "Bellatrix incident".

After the incident, Rosie had disappeared for a month. No one knew where she was or if she was okay. Poor Sirius spent the first week looking for her then the next three in his dog form, also going missing. James had spent nights searching the streets for Sirius, and Lily for Rosie. Every night the couple would come back together and share their concerns in not finding their best friends.

Once again, Lily acknowledged how love could do so much. It could create life and love, but it could also destroy you in an instant.

James and Sirius had been talking when Lily had been off in memory lane and she looked up to see delicate tears clinging to Sirius's eyelashes.

"I don't want to lose her James. I'm scared. The last time she was gone a month, what if she's gone longer? I barely survived the month…"

Both boys shared a long, sad look, filled to the brim of terrible memories that still haunted both of them at night. Rosie had told Lily that after the "incident" Sirius had began having nightmare. Rosie had always been prone to nightmares, horrific ones that she couldn't get out of on her own, but then Sirius had started.

Lily wiped away a tear that was trickling down Sirius's cheek and hugged him tightly, gently rubbing her hand up and down his back in a means of comfort. "Rosie won't leave you this time. She regretted it so much, remember? She was going to come back the same hour she left but her dad was dying Sirius…"

Yet again, Lily felt a pang run through her heart like a knife. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't. Rosie did not deserve to have everything she held dear crumbling around her, but that's exactly what was happening.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4; **

**Disclaimer;** I do not own this amazing series of books, they belong to J.K Rowling, but Alison Potter and Rosie Hunter are mine.

* * *

"See why I'm scared Lils? She didn't want you to know yet, not until she was absolutely certain." Sirius whispered to Lily as James hurried around the room, pulling his coat and shoes on. James paused briefly as Socks jumped on the bed and nuzzled Sirius's face gently, purring contently. Lily laughed softly and scratched the cat behind the ears, cooing to it. A short laugh also escaped James's mouth as he was lacing up his shoes. That cat wasn't heartless after all. He didn't honestly think the cat was heartless, Socks adored Lily and kept her company when he couldn't and he loved the cat for it.

* * *

Shortly after Sirius had told them about Rosie, James had decided that they were staying with the Potter's for a while. They had a guest room and Lily and James knew they wouldn't mind having their friends around; they'd love to see them. Also James knew that if anything happened to Rosie's baby there would be more people to watch and see if she tries to do a disappearing act.

Sirius had no time debate the topic as James sent him a glare and growled, "I love her too Sirius."

* * *

James had always treated Rosie like a little sister, and she was just as well as, she'd spent more Christmas's with him and Ali then her actual family, because her parents were divorced and fought over who would get her for Christmas, like she was yet again an eleven year old girl who was treated like prized cattle. Alison even referred to Rosie as her sister and Rosie adored the little girl, who was not so little anymore and now loomed over Rosie's short five-foot height.

* * *

When James had apparated to Rosie and Sirius's apartment, he knocked on the bright blue door with a slight grin sliding onto his face. He knew about Sirius's aversion to bright colors and Rosie's love of them, making it always an adventure when he entered the small place.

Rosie opened the door and peeked out at James, a smile gliding onto her face as she threw the door open and hugged him tightly. "James Potter! What rock were you hiding under!?" James hugged her back just as tightly, possibly tighter and his grinned widened.  
"I've seen you at Order meetings Hunter, stop roping me down woman!" Rosie pulled away and smirked slightly before pushing him into the multi-colored apartment and locking the door.

* * *

As he stood in her apartment, James finally allowed his eyes to give her a once over.

Rosie Hunter looked absolutely terrible. Her hair was pulled into a messy knot at the nape of her neck and her eyes were such a light grey that they looked colorless. She had dark circles under her eyes, which were red and puffy, as if she'd been crying. Not to mention she was pale, unusually pale.

"Rosie…what's happened?" James asked softly, she definitely contrasted with her apartment, which made her look even sicker. Every surface of the apartment was colorful and bright and Rosie looked colorless and drab compared.

"I was fine…until Sirius left to visit you. James I can't be pregnant. I'm too reckless and what…w-wh-what if I lose this one too?!" Her eyes began to water and she wiped at them frantically, sniffling slightly. Of course Rosie knew Sirius would have told him so he didn't correct her. He just lightly took her hand and pulled her into a tight embrace, rubbing his hand up and down her back tenderly, trying desperately to comfort the now sobbing girl in his arms.

"Rosie…you wont. I promise I'll protect. And not to mention Sirius. We'll protect you, little wolf." James held her while she cried into his coat, hushing her every time she made a shaky apology. He felt his heart break every time she made a soft sniffling sound or a sob. James Potter hated seeing Rosie cry, as she didn't do it often and when she did it was only a couple stray tears.

While he held her he thought of how fragile she really was. Sure, Rosie put on a strong face and had a sharp tongue, but she was really a lot like glass. He mumbled soft, comforting words to her until she was finished sobbing.

* * *

Rosie came out of her room, pushing her dark, slightly damp hair off her face and giving James a weak smile. As soon as she'd stopped crying he'd pushed her into the bathroom and promised her tea after she had a shower. He passed her a cup of steaming tea and she sipped it hesitantly.

"James, you don't need to take care of me. I'm a big girl…" James smirked from behind his teacup and sat down on a bright blue couch. "Who said I'm taking care of you? I'm just a mate who made himself a cup of tea. I wasn't happy with my first attempt so I gave it to you."

The softest of laughs bubbled from Rosie's mouth as she sat next to him on the couch, folding her legs under her. James felt his heart lift; it was almost like her usual, lovely laugh. Almost. James could see the pale scars on the inside of her forearm that she'd received during their seventh year, right before Christmas break.

Right before Christmas break a group of Slytherin's had hexed Rosie from behind and knocked her unconscious then had had a fun time carving "filthy mudblood" all over her the inside of her right forearm, all varying sizes. He and Sirius had found her when they were done, lying unconscious and covered in blood. He'd had terrible nightmares after that, as well as Sirius and Rosie.

James put his arm around Rosie's shoulder and gave her a half armed hug. "Come on, you're staying with us. I packed some of your stuff. Poor Lily can only deal with Sirius for _so _long." With a faint smile, he tugged her to her feet, picked up the bag full of her things and apparated home.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5; **_

_**Disclaimer; I don't own this series of books., but I do own Rosie Hunter. **_

* * *

Just as James apparated back into the house, he was greeted by the sound of loud retching. Horror flickered onto his face and his heart sank as scenarios played in his head, deadly and dangerous. He let go of Rosie and bolted to where the sound was coming from and saw Lily bent over the toilet, Sirius holding her hair off her face gingerly. His mate looked slightly relieved when James burst in and kicked Sirius out, taking over the job of holding Lily's long mane of red hair. He did one better than Sirius though, he rubbed her back and whispered soft, comforting words in her ear, the whole while out of his mind with worry.

Once she was done, she whimpered softly and flushed the toilet, wrinkling her nose in disgust as the smell wafted up to her. James looked at her intently, analysing her face and he felt his heart sink as he took in how pale Lily looked.

"Little Dove? Are you okay?" She shook her head and James frowned, mentally trying to figure out what was wrong with Lily.

He pulled her onto his lap as he sat with his back pressed against the cool surface of the bathtub.

Lily instantly rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, a tiny whimper escaping her lips.

James's concern grew and he started stroking her hair, he hated to see Lily sick. It got to him like someone was repeatedly stabbing him in the heart.

"What can I do Lils? What will help you feel better? I'm sorry I went. I could have sent Sirius...you need me too." His voice was desperate and filled to the brim with worry for his wife.

A weak smile flittered onto her face as she looked up at James and he felt a sigh of relief escape him. Lily would be okay. If she could smile, she was okay. When they'd first started dating, they'd decided that if you could still smile, you'd be okay. If you couldn't even force a smile, immediate action had to be taken.

"James, it's morning sickness. I'll be fine." Morning sickness? Lily must have caught the confusion that flashed on his face and clarified, "Women have morning sickness when they're pregnant. It's not uncommon."

James smiled and held her closer, making him smell the faint, pungent smell of vomit clinging to her. He then jokingly held her at arms length, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the smell, which wasn't totally faked.  
"That's wonderful love. If you don't mind, I'd rather not hug you until you brush your teeth...or use mouth wash at least."

With a huge, evil grin, Lily purposely breathed on James, who made a gagging noise and tried to gently push her off his lap.  
"OFF! OFF!" He made a choking noise and let his eyes close as he made his head fall back against the bathtub, his tongue stuck out.

Lily climbed off his lap and started brushing her teeth and when she was done, crouched down in front of the still pretend, dead James and blew a breath of air into his face.

"Better?"

Quickly, he sat up, a grin sliding onto his face as the minty smelling air caressed his face/

"Much, actually. Thanks love."

She rolled her eyes and held her hand out, offering to pull him to his feet. James just shook his head and stood up beside her. He loved Lily to death, and didn't really think she had to help him stand when she'd been sick moments before.

She was sick because of him...because of their baby.

One of his hands came to rest on her stomach and his smile widened. "Hey Harry, take it easy on mummy, okay?"

As she let James pull her close, Lily wrapped her arms around him and just held onto him. James loved how fragile and small she felt in his arms, like she was a leaf in Autumn, so easily crumbled.

* * *

They stood like that for a few moments, until Lily finally pulled away from James. "I should go say hi to Rosie, give her some support about her baby..." James nodded and nudged Lily out of the bathroom ahead of him.

The walls in there house had always been thin, so James could hear Rosie and Sirius arguing in the spare room. He knew they loved each other, quite a lot, but they argued constantly. Yet, they couldn't stay mad at each other for long and usually ended up running back to each other within the space of five minutes.

James didn't know why they were arguing, so he and Lily just barged into the guest room. It so happened, that it'd gone quiet the second they'd barged in as Sirius had grabbed Rosie and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

Lily and James shared looks of horror, and quickly inched out of the room, closing the door as softly as they could. No matter how close they were to their friends, they definitely did not want to see what could happen next.  
"That was a close one," James mumbled as he scooped Lily up bridal style and carried her downstairs and put her down in front of the fire.

"Lils, how are you feeling? Do you want anything, baby? A book perhaps?" Lily just smiled and pulled his down by the chain of the dog tag he always wore, the dog tag that his father had always worn, his lips coming to meet hers in a passionate, breathtaking kiss.

* * *

When James pulled up for air, Lily whispered breathlessly. 'You, James. I want you." He couldn't help the small smirk that flittered onto his face as he scooped her up and started carrying her to the bedroom. There had always been something about Lily that made his heart beat faster and his breath catch. She was like oxygen, and without a rather large dose of Lily Potter, he'd slowly die. Note the slowly.

He kissed her deeply again, then mumbled against her lips, his breath coming in ragged gasps.  
"Your wish is my command."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6; Sorry if it isn't the best... this fic makes me want to cry...**_

* * *

James' POV

Casting a look at his best mate, James bit his lip and tried to think of ways of comforting him. He had no idea how to comfort someone when their wife was finally having their baby, the baby they'd been waiting for for so long to meet. Sirius was in a right state, worrying beyond belief. Rosie had refused to let Sirius into the hospital room, swearing that if she saw him during the birth, that she'd probably hex him all the way into next week. That hadn't stopped Sirius from trying to get into the room, but James hadn't wanted to take any chances. Rosie did get particularly moody lately, and he wasn't taking any chances on letting her do something she'd eventually regret. James had decided that he hated the waiting room they'd been showed into. He hated the yellow and white chairs, he hated the cream coloured walls and he absolutely hated the smell of the hospitals wait room. With one look at Sirius, he could tell that he felt exactly the same.

* * *

Both men kept looking at each other, fear written over their features as the time droned on. Each of them were worrying for Rosie and James also seemed to be worrying about his wife. Having Lily see Rosie go through child birth, might spook Lily who was due in two months. He desperately hoped both women were alright and that the little baby Rosie was bringing into the world was okay. Perfect and amazing, just like her mum. They really hadn't expected Rosie to be so far along, as she was hardly showing. The doctor had explained that some women, it wasn't fairly common, ended up carrying most of the baby in their backs, so they hardly showed. It seemed as if that'd happened to Rosie and no one had expected her to randomly scream during breakfast and have them all rush to St. Mungos.

* * *

As James looked at his watch, he couldn't help gulping and putting a hand on Sirius's shoulder for support, his eyes dark and foreshadowed with absolute worry. Rosie had been in there a long time and both men were losing it. Sure, they didn't know how long it took to give birth, but they hadn't expected it to take that long. Just as Sirius was about to barge into the small room, Lily poked her head out. She looked exhausted but extremely happy. "Sirius..." She called in a singsong voice, unable to keep the radiant smile from her gorgeous face. "Would you like to come meet your daughter?"

Sirius's POV

At exactly 12:01 am, little Isabelle (Belle) Delilah Black was born. She weighed four libs and 11 ounces and was exceedingly perfect. It seemed as if the little bundle fit perfectly into Sirius's arms when the midwife handed him his daughter for the first time. He'd glanced at Rosie, she'd looked exhausted but the radiant smile on her face made Sirius's smile widen and his heart ache. It was a happy ache though. Her auburn hair had been pulled into a messy ponytail, just so that the hair didn't fall into her eyes, which were a vibrant blue today. Carefully holding his daughter, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to his wife's lips, his soft breath blowing out on her warm lips. She instantly returned the soft kiss before pulling away with a large smile on her face. "Sirius, honestly, pay more attention to our daughter." Our daughter. Just the way those words sounded on her lips made Sirius's heart jump for joy as he gazed down at his little girl. "Rosie, you did so well..." Sirius sat down beside her and carefully handed his daughter back to his wife. The little baby seemed to be fast asleep and curled up instantly against her mother chest's soft, sleepy sounds the only noise in the room as Rosie and Sirius gazed at the baby intently, as if she'd disappear if they didn't watch her long enough.

* * *

After a few hours, Sirius had somehow ended up lying down on the bed beside Rosie, holding her as close as he possibly could. The bed was horrible uncomfortable but he didn't make a move to leave, too content on being close with his love. He had his arms wrapped carefully around her waist and her back pressed against his torso. She'd fallen asleep almost instantly when the midwife's had taken the baby and put her in a little cot beside the bed. He could hear the soft sound of Belle's breathing as well as Rosie's. Just looking at the two most important women in his life, he felt his heart ache again. When he'd married her, Sirius had whispered into her ear, "I will only love one other women who isn't you, and she will call you mummy." How real that sentence now seemed with the small bundle now cuddled up in the blankets in the small cot. Reluctantly, Sirius tried to be as quiet as possible as he slipped out of the bed and from the room. He didn't want to leave. He wanted nothing more than to spend all day curled up in the terrible uncomfortable bed with the love of his love and his little girl but he also wanted to get them something. Flowers, he'd decided. He wanted to get his wife flowers and his daughter something. A teddy bear, perhaps. Running a hand through his hair, Sirius also decided that coffee would make Rosie's morning. He knew how much his wife loved coffee and how she didn't function properly without it in the morning and she really deserved it.

* * *

Rosie's POV

When she woke up, Sirius was gone and the side of the bed he'd been in was empty and cold, making her heart ache for him. Belle was stirring slightly so Rosie sat up and cuddled her daughter close to her, pressing delicate kisses to Belle's cheeks and forehead. The kisses seemed to have woken Belle, as her eyes fluttered open and she made a soft, baby-like sound. Looking down at her, Rosie decided that she'd never get tired of hearing those little sounds or of seeing those little eyes flickering open in the morning. The little baby had brilliant blue eyes with flecks of grey that reminded her of Sirius's striking eyes. Soon enough Belle would have eyes exactly the same as her fathers, but it seemed as if everything else was the same as Rosie. The face shape, the full lips that looked as if she was pouting if she didn't bother to smile and the small dimple in her right cheek. Rocking the baby carefully, Rosie started to sing a soft lullaby to her. The whole time she watched Belle carefully, never wanting to let her go.


End file.
